V is for Vendetta
by dizzygirl464
Summary: When one of there own is killed violently can the lab bring the killer to justice? But then the unexpected happens and another of the team finds their life in danger. D/L, M/S, F/A. Rated for language and violence. May turn to M, but will have warning!
1. The Crime Scene

People say when you so scared, that when you're in a life or death situation your life flashes before your eyes. But that's not true. As she stared, trembling and sobbing, down the barrel of that gun, she didn't see all the events of her life. Instead she saw the future, and what she would miss. Getting married, having children, grandchildren, growing old. It all moved before her, a kaleidoscope of colours and events that she would never get to see. And, for the first time that night, she truly cried.

~0~

She'd forgotten the pain along time ago. It was constant, which made it easier to bear - now it was a fight for survival. She stumbled across the earth, her bare feet screaming in protest, arms stinging as branches whipped by. Her breath escaped in sharp, jagged sobs as she furiously tried to clear her eyes from the tears that were so persistant. Her tangled hair stuck on her tear, and bloodstained cheeks, but she had no time to clear them. She had to keep running.

She could hear him now, behind her. His clumsy feet, his shouts of fury. She wasn't supposed to escape. She'd broken the rules, and now she had to pay. She knew exactly what he would look like. He'd be running, finding it easier than her, with his large frame. His huge, beefy arms would be cradling the gun that never left his side ..

An involuntary scream left her lips at the thought. She stumbled, tripping on a loose branch and fell to the hard ground. It was wet .. god, she could hardly remember the rain. She longed to feel it, it's soothing coolness, but she feared she may never get the chance. She was on her feet again in seconds, still whimpering, screaming as she went, ignoring the pain now radiating from the cut to her shin.

"Stop, now you bitch. I said, stop running!" she heard him now. He was close. His lisp, the one caused by his loss of teeth over the years, made his voice harsh and threatening.

And then he was behind her. For his size, he moved incredibly quickly, faster than he physically should. He yanked at her hair, and she screamed again, the sound echoing around the forest. She remembered that old saying, "_If a tree falls in the forest and there's nobody to hear it, does it make a sound?"_ Was that lonesome tree her? Would anybody hear her shouts for help?

And she turned, slowly and deliberately. People say when you so scared, that when you're in a life or death situation your life flashes before your eyes. But that's not true. As she stared, trembling and sobbing, down the barrel of that gun, she didn't see all the events of her life. Instead she saw the future, and what she would miss. Getting married, having children, grandchildren, growing old. It all moved before her, a kaleidoscope of colours and events that she would never get to see. And, for the first time that night, she truly cried.

**~#~**

"What've we got, Mac?" Stella Bonasera quickly ducked under the yellow tape and set her kit beside her partners. As she surveryed the scene, she did her hair up in a quick ponytail, leaving some strands loose at the nape of her neck.

Mac turned, and she was surprised to see ... was is pain, in his eyes?

"Stella, it's one of us." he told her. His voice, though remained steady. She looked at him in shock, her hand flying to the chain she always wore around her neck.

"Oh, god who is it?" she breathed. The noises of the forest all died considerably as she waited, dreading the answer.

"Kendall Novak," he replied, the pure anger in his voice unmissable.

Stella took in a sharp breath, a slight queasiness spreading through her stomach. "Does Adam know? He's gonna be devastated," she murmured.

Mac gave her one sharp, curt nod. "This son of a bitch has gone too far Stella, he's messed with one of us. We're gonna bring him down with a painful thump." A suddenly he was moving towards a large tree. At the base of it was a large, opaque plastic, that, Stella knew, was covering the body of one of her friends. She suddenly reeled backwards.

"I'm sorry Mac, I can't do this," she called before moving further back.

She'd never been affected at a scene like this before. She cursed herself under her breath, and kicked the tree closest to her, in a failing attempt at venting her frustration. She turned and leant her head against the trunk of a tree, finding the pleasant warmth more calming than kicking it. She brought her gaze up and stared for a while at the blinks of blue between the leaves.

She was surprised to bring her gaze down and find Mac at her side. His hands were at her waist, his chin resting on her shoulder. "Don't be ashamed Stella, my reaction was the same. It's one of us. But as long as you help us nail his bastard, I'm happy."

She nodded, turning into his embrace. She was touched he was displaying his emotions publicly - he was a very private man.

"COD?" she brought herself the say.

"It's clear. Gun shot wound to the face. Stella this is personal."

She nodded turning back to the tree. "Hey Mac? You notice this?" she frowned, moving up onto her toes to reach a dent in the tree. "I think I got a bullet hole."

She accepted the tweezers and gloves he held out and dug into the bark was a small while, eventually pulling a small object out. But it was not what either of them were expecting.

Dun dun dun!!  
What d'you think?  
Hopefully you like .. please please review!


	2. The Next Victim Is

"Mac, you ever seen anything like this?" she turned to face him, her chocolate brown eyes darkening with curiosity and puzzlement, the tweezers holding the small object, "-cos' if you have, please, enlighten me."

Mac, himself frowning, a small dark line creasing the center of his forehead, took the tweezers from her and examined their contents closely.

"It looks like a tiny voodoo doll," he replied, almost hesitantly.

"Hidden in a tree?" Stella's tone did nothing to disguise her disbelief. "C'mon Mac, you thinking some ritualistic tribal bastards are responsable for this?"

"We're not going to exclude anything right now, Stella. One of us is dead." He brought his eyes to hers, and she looked away in embarrassement. "Now, get this back to Lindsay at the lab. From now on, everyone's working this case."

~#~

Danny strode through the reception at NYPD. His crisp white shirt was tucked into his work pants, but it didn't disguise the fact he was riled. Thrusting his way through the opening evevator doors, he turned and walked straight into Lindsay.

"God, Danny, watch it," she sighed, picking the large brown envelopes off the floor. "This is evidence in ... hang on, you haven't heard?"

"I just got outta' bed Linds. Called in on my one day off in two weeks," he replied, although there was no mistaking the apology in his tone. He ran his hands through his damp hair as he often did when agitated, before pulling Lindsay into a hug. "And I missed you last night."

"No, stop it," she warned him, and when their eyes met he could see the tears in them. "Danny, Kendall was murdered last night."

Danny pulled away immediately. "Shit. _Shit_ - they know who? And Adam ..."

"Everyone's on the investigation, it's why you've been pulled in. And Adam .. he's being Adam. Wont talk to anyone. I was hoping maybe you could - y'know."

Lindsay began walking again, trying to wipe her tears away without Danny seeing.

"Yeah, sure I'll go see him in a minute. Let me help you with some of this first."

She nodded, laying the box onto the lab desks. Still keeping her head down, she began her duty. "Mac said there was something unusual about this case ..."

She froze when she felt hands around her waist. "Lindsay, please, talk to me. I know something's wrong." Danny spoke gently, tucking a loose strand of hair behind her ear.

"One of us is dead, Danny, thats what's wrong!" she hissed, pulling away. "God, you're so ... oh, just forget it. Can you just finish that evidence, I'm going to find Hawkes."

And she left him, leaning on the desk, even more confused than before.

~#~

"Hey, Hawkes. How you doing?" Lindsay pulled up a chair beside him. Computers was humming in the background as he patiently sifted through the information.

"As can be expected ..." he replied vaguely. "Hey, look at this. Mac told you about the voodoo doll yet?"

"He mentioned there was something strange .. why? You found a connection?" Unconciously, Lindsay shifted forward in the chair to get a better view. She quickly scanned through the information displayed on the screen.

"Yeah ... well, I thought it's an unusual signature - I brought up any cases of police deaths in the last 3 months. Two cases, where minuature voodoo dolls were found at the scene." he spoke slowly, absently, reading through the information he had found.

"Sounds promising. You have information I can use?" she couldn't help the slow smile that spread across her dimpled cheeks. She stopped however, vaguely surprised when Hawkes turned to face her, his face serious, his lips in a straight line that cut across his handsome face.

"In each of the voodoo dolls found was a single hair, each one, without fail, having a skin tag on the end - a message from killer. The hair was of the next chronological victim. The last case before Kendall's, her hair was found. But by the time she had been linked to case, she had dissapeared."

"So you think ... Danny's in the lab, I'll go and tell him," Lindsay stood up quickly, a cold fear spreading through her, the hair's on her arms and the back of her neck raising in a strange sort of warning.

~#~

"Adam?"

Danny cautiously opened the door, unsure of the sight he would be greeted with. What he saw shocked him to the core.

Adam was sat on the on call bed, surrounded by darkness. Photographs were spread around him, and in the dim light Danny could make out several of Adam and Kendall's smiling faces beaming at the camera.

"Adam, you alrite buddy?" he moved forwards slowly, setting his weight gently on the end of the bed.

Adam looked up, his eyes shining with unshed tears. "Danny, she was the one," he whispered, his voice hoarse and trembling. "She was my one. And she's gone," his voice broke, and he fell foreward, his whole body shaking.

Danny immediately wrapped his hands around his shoulder. "Okay, Adam, let it out. It's okay," he murmured.

"We were still together. We kept it quiet. I loved her Danny. Think if it was Lindsay ..." his voice trailed of again, suffocated by grief and heartbreak.

"You dont have to talk Adam," Danny replied croakily. Seeing his friend, his ally like this - it was difficult.

So they remained, in a quiet embrace, Adam's shoulders wracked with sorrow, Danny his shoulder to cry on.

~#~

Lindsay made her way quickly to lab. When she returned she found it empty ... and a scrawled message stuck to the box.

_Montana, I'm sorry about ealier. I know you're hurting - and I'm here for you when you're ready.  
I've gone to speak to Adam and make sure he's okay -  
Hope you are too  
I love you ... D_

She smiled softly, and a small wave of guilt washed over her. Sighing she moved to the evidence, searching through it carefully until she came across the doll.

It was tiny- that part was true. Pulling on a pair of gloves, she used a pair of tweezers to pick it apart until she found the small wisp of hair. Her heart hammered with fear and anticipation. She could feel it spreading through her, causing her breath to quicken. Cutting off the skin tag and letting it drop into the test-tube, she added the solution, put it into the machine and waited, ensuring the search was only on police officers - it shortened the wait.

She'd been waiting fifteen minutes when a small bleep alerted her it had found a match. She froze, unsure if she could look into the face of the person she knew would be the next victim unless they stopped their perp. Pulling the screen around to face her she froze, a cry lodged in her throat. Her heart froze her hands trembling. She knew the face ...

**What d'you think?  
And who d'you think it'll be?  
Ohh, the possibilites  
Hope you enjoyed - please review!**


	3. A Change of Plan

The face that stared back at her was framed with ornate chesnut ringlets. Her almond eyes sparkled even though she did not smile in her picture. Stella. "Oh my God."

**o.O.o**

Mac was just finishing at the crime scene when he felt his mobile vibrate in his pocket. He never had a ringtone on: he didn't want to distract others when they were working. "Taylor."

_"Mac? Oh, I'm so glad you've answered. Are you with Stella?"_

He turned and surveyed the scene. He saw her working at the base of the tree where they'd discovered the voodoo doll. Although that had been taken in as evidence a long time ago she'd refused to leave, hoping to find a stray hair or fingerprint from their killer.

_"_Yes, she's still here. Why?"

_"Don't let her out of your sight. I don't have time to explain properly - her hair was found in the doll, she's the next target. Please, just bring her back to the lab. We need to brief everyone."_

Mac pulled the phone from his ear as Lindsay cut the call. A chill had settled over him, as though someone had sucked all the air out. His chest felt constricted - he knew from experience this meant anger. Anger at the bastard who thought he could hurt her, or his team. He paced quickly over to Stella, taking her by the arm. "Stell, we need to go back to the lab. Just grab your stuff and come to the car."

"Mac, I'm not done yet..." She turned to face him, her eyebrows creased in concern.

"Just do it." His expression left no room for argument. She pulled her arm loose of him and strode towards the car, turning to give him a glance, full of contempt. She thought he knew she was not one to be bossed around. She couldn't believe he had just been so rude.

She didn't look up when the car door opened, then slammed just. She felt a hand touch hers and jumped, a tremble running down her spine.

"I'm sorry."

She looked into Mac's gaze. "Mac, just don't-"

"You're in serious danger, Stella. Whoever hurt Kendall is after you, you're his next target. I didn't want to tell you there."

She suddenly felt a shiver, surrounded by the trees without much room for hindsight. She kicked herself for being so afraid but the idea of someone hunting her- she hated it. "Please, just drive."

**o.O.o**

Lindsay cleared her throat. She loved her job and the people she worked with, but damn did she hate standing up to give speeches. "We have a development in the case. Each voodoo doll found at the scene contains the hair of the next intended victim. The link was only made recently and ..." she stopped, scanning the room for Adam, feeling almost guilty at the relief she felt when his face didn't register. "...by the time Kendall had been linked to the case, it was too late." She finished apologetically, looking at the ground.

"However, at this scene, we found Stella's hair inside the doll and this time, we aren't too late. Mac has secured a security detail for her at all times, but this meeting it to tell you _all _to be careful. It's clear our perp has a grudge against this lab and we need to be sensible." She finished and stood down immediately, looking at Danny for support.

He stood up and gestured to the board. "We are currently looking for any links between the previous two victims and Kendall and Stella. You will all have been given jobs, if we can just ensure to do them as thoroughly as possible, thank you."

As soon as Danny had finished Stella turned to Mac. "A security detail at all times? C'mon Mac, you don't seriously expect me to put it with that?"

"I expect you to put up with anything that'll mean your safety," he retorted. He gave her a smile, and rubbed her shoulder quickly. "Stella, I really care about you. Please, just stay safe."

**o.O.o**

"Hey, buddy. I'm just coming to make sure-" He stopped. He knew Adam wasn't ok. Instead he added, "I've been looking for you for a while," Danny approached Adam carefully. He knew not to push too hard. He sat on the edge of the bed and picked up one of the pictures. "We're doing everything we can. The entire lab is on this case and no-one going to rest-"

"And that's makes it okay does it? They're doing all they can?" Adam stood up, flinging the photographs onto the ground. "It's not going to fucking bring her back is it?" He picked up one of the pictures and ripped it into two, separating his smiling face from Kendall's. It left a jagged mark down the middle of her face.

Adam blanched, looking sickened. "That's how she looks now, isn't it? I know what he did to her. I saw the other cases. Oh, god. Oh, god. Her face. Her beautiful face-"

"Adam, just-"

"NO. She's gone. Nothing is okay anymore. I loved her! I loved her and I never told her. It was too soon," he sank to the ground, sobs wracking his frame.

It hurt Danny. It physically hurt him to see his friend like this. But he knew. He knew the pain. He had to be there for Adam: no-one else would understand - no-one could, not properly. Except Mac. And Lindsay. Man, he wanted to see her. It had been 5 days since the last time they'd both been home together. But right now, it wasn't about him. It was about Adam and his pain. Adam and his heartbreak.

**o.O.o**

He watched, from the window. His plan, his meticulous, perfect plan. Ruined. He'd had his system. He had his messages, his order, his _way._ And it had all been disturbed. Yes. He'd wanted Stella. She'd have been perfect as his next victim. But he wasn't stupid. He didn't think that highly of himself - he knew he couldn't get past the security. She'd have to do. In fact, now he surveyed her picture, she might be even better. He'd thought Stella had been the thing that was missing, but maybe he'd been wrong. Maybe fate had just thrust this new girl into his sights. As a gift. As the perfect surprise.


End file.
